Investigation into how Individual Experiences inform Drag Persona and how Drag helps inform Identities Abstract: Every drag artist embodies some kind of character they choose for the performance of their drag. This “character” or personality if you will, is specifically tailored to meet the needs of the drag performers, to elaborate the drag persona and […]
Abstract: Drag vocabulary is responsible for most of the common slang we use all around the world. While many cultures appropriate drag slang and misrepresent the meanings of the words, drag vocabulary is a key component of drag culture. Drag artist use language as a method of inclusion, to violate societal norms and to create their own vernacular.
Susan Sontag and many other queer theorists have discussed camp and tried to define it. Most of these theorists discuss camp as an art form for the queer community and point to the way men, especially gay men, perform camp. But is camp limited to this small population? What about queer women or non-binary individuals and their camp expression? Can popular, mainstream culture do camp authentically?
Within the drag scene there are patterns of hyper-sexualizing of the female form and using this as a source of control and power. While sex appeal is not used by all drag artists, it is a popular tactic used to attract an audience and performers generally feed off the audience’s responses. Sexuality and the performance of sexuality on stage is often policed by audiences who align with heteronormative ideals. Here we examine how sexuality and the female form is used and policed in drag culture.
By: Marleina Robson, Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville Abstract RuPaul has built his career on being a strong advocate for Drag Queens. He, himself has been in the Drag world for decades. But, over the many years that RuPaul has been in the spotlight; he has said some controversial things about transgender performers. My blog […]